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The Short Setter’s Handbook

A 3-time Olympian’s guide to playing tall

It’s no secret that coaches are drawn to tall, wiry, high-jumping setters. This often leaves shorter setters in low demand, especially if they’re less than lean. Lindsey Berg experienced this and was told repeatedly that she was, in her words, “too short, too fat, too slow and not a good enough blocker.”

Fortunately, she didn’t listen. By the time she retired in 2014, the 5’8″ three-time Olympian had established herself as one of the top setters in U.S. history.

In The Short Setter’s Handbook, Berg splits her time between telling her story of perseverance and offering valuable instruction on how non-prototypical setters can thrive. Reading the pass, sizing up the block, bettering the ball, jump setting, footwork, hand technique, communicating, blocking big when you’re not big, delivering the right ball to the right hitter – it’s all here and more, and it’s relatable to players at every level.

About the Author: Lindsey Berg was one of the great setters in the history of USA volleyball, but she did not fit the prototype. She was told throughout her career by coach after coach that she wasn’t tall enough, wasn’t lean enough, wasn’t good enough.

Turns out, none of that was even close to being true. The 5-foot-8 native of Honolulu played at powerhouse Punahou High in Hawaii, then the University of Minnesota and went on to represent the U.S. in three Olympics. She was co-captain of the 2008 team, which won a silver medal in Beijing, and captain of the 2012 team, which won a silver medal in London.

A big key to Berg’s success is that she pushed back whenever someone doubted her. Never was she more motivated than after she got cut from a USA juniors team in high school and noticed that both setters who made the roster were over 6-feet.

“From that point on,” she says, “I was on a mission to prove the volleyball world wrong – to prove that it’s not necessary to be tall, slim and jump high to be the best in the world.”

She did just that, and she tells you how in this book. The Short Setter’s Handbook is filled with insights into what it takes mentally, physically and technically to reach your potential if you’re one of those setters who doesn’t look like a setter is “supposed to” look.

Weight

0.5 lbs

Dimensions

8 × 5.25 × 0.5 in

2 reviews for The Short Setter’s Handbook

Rated 5 out of 5

steven millhouse –June 16, 2019

I bought this at the Vegas convention and loved it. I think there are a ton of “short setters” out there that will benefit but also a bunch of “short hitters” as well that would be inspired by the story!!

Rated 5 out of 5

Juan Ruelas –February 7, 2020

This book is great and well written. It’s not going to single-handedly teach anyone the fundamentals to be an excellent player, but it will point them in the right direction. If you’re going to read this book, I recommend pairing it with videos to show/explain the form, footwork and general fundamentals in more detail.